Sciencemadness Discussion Board

99% IPA in store?

JefferyH - 20-9-2014 at 00:41

I have heard on numerous occasions that this can be found in stores such as auto-supply places, but searching the forums here and other places revealed no mention. I read about something called Iso-HEET which is 99% pure IPA, but someone mentioned that the 1% impurity in it can cause a lot of trouble.

Can anyone give suggestions on where to buy high purity IPA? I think I have 91% available at most pharmacies, but it is not worth the hassle to dry it when I could just order 99% online.

forgottenpassword - 20-9-2014 at 00:55

How can a 1% impurity cause a lot of trouble?

violet sin - 20-9-2014 at 01:00

just a thought, I bought some of these water crystals:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/3-lbs-Medium-Water-Absorbing-Polymer...

after a day in MeOH no change, so they didn't swell up in heet @ 99%. though would in water afterward. perhaps they can be used to take 70% --> 99% IPA. cheap and reusable. you can buy smaller packs, but we use them in potting soil with the warm weather here.

JefferyH - 20-9-2014 at 01:42

Quote: Originally posted by forgottenpassword  
How can a 1% impurity cause a lot of trouble?


That's my question. Perhaps it is some super viscous agent? I would have to know what it is first.

https://www.imperialsupplies.com/msds0055120.shtml

The MSDS says it is a "PROPRIETARY ADDITIVE"

Edit:

I bet that proprietary additive is some kind of peroxide inhibiting agent, since pure isopropanol is prone to forming explosive peroxides.
Quote: Originally posted by violet sin  
just a thought, I bought some of these water crystals:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/3-lbs-Medium-Water-Absorbing-Polymer...

after a day in MeOH no change, so they didn't swell up in heet @ 99%. though would in water afterward. perhaps they can be used to take 70% --> 99% IPA. cheap and reusable. you can buy smaller packs, but we use them in potting soil with the warm weather here.


Drying 70% isn't too difficult. I just vacuum drain it through a large column of calcium chloride or other water absorbing agent. I can get calcium chloride and other drying agents locally in 25lb containers.

I'll stop by the autoshop today to see if I can find this Iso-HEET

[Edited on 20-9-2014 by JefferyH]

Little_Ghost_again - 20-9-2014 at 03:47

Mine says 99.9% pure I got it from ebay, I will see if I can find the link.

Mailinmypocket - 20-9-2014 at 03:56

At Costco I buy 4x500ml packs of 99% isopropanol for around 12$ CAD, some pharmacies carry it too, just look around. Costco is the best bet though

Little_Ghost_again - 20-9-2014 at 03:57

This is a link it isnt the one I got but does say 99.9%
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/5-LITRES-Isopropanol-99-9-IPA-Isop...

careysub - 20-9-2014 at 08:55

Some of the components of the Safeway holding company (Vons for example) carry 99% IPA. I checked one Pavilions and didn't find it, but I don't know if that is the rule.

I have bought 99% IPA at Vons that was actually branded "Safeway", so I expect the Safeway-named stores also have it.

[Edited on 20-9-2014 by careysub]

NeonPulse - 25-9-2014 at 00:01

I recently found 99% anhydrous IPA at an electronics supply store. the guy says he has used it to displace water from a wet mobile phone to great effect. only a 250ml bottle though so if needed in bulk that amount is not much help...

TheChemiKid - 25-9-2014 at 08:59

Yeah, I can find it at electronic stores as well, it can be used to remove thermal paste, so it needs to be anhydrous, or else it will short out the motherboard and/or the cpu.

JefferyH - 25-9-2014 at 14:59

What electronic stores did you get IPA from, and in what size bottles? Best Buy? RadioShack? Does it go by a specific name or should I just ask for IPA?

I just got some "IsoHeet" from an automotive store, and to my disappointed me, it was a very piss-colored yellow coming out of the bottle. All they had was "Iso-Heet + Injector Cleaner", which I didn't see that on the bottle when I purchased it. I was not able to find any MSDS for this product. A 1% Impurity which would be a stabilizer would not cause this extent of a yellow color I think.

TheChemiKid - 25-9-2014 at 16:31

I don't know, I just get the generic stuff at a computer hardware store nearby.

JefferyH - 25-9-2014 at 22:07

I checked a number of stores... zilch.

Decided to make my own.... stirring 4x excess anhydrous magnesium sulfate with 91% rubbing alcohol for about 1 hour. Hopefully this will be relatively anhydrous.

UnintentionalChaos - 26-9-2014 at 15:32

This is a topic that has been covered in several places before on this forum. This document is basically all you need to know about drying iPrOH. Anything else is wasteful or ineffective.

https://sciencemadness.org/talk/files.php?pid=163249&aid...

Simple distillation of iso-HEET also gives clean anhydrous iPrOH. For some experiments (like Al(OiPr)3), you don't even need to remove the additive since a distillation follows the reaction.

[Edited on 9-26-14 by UnintentionalChaos]